Glaudina Loots - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Glaudina Loots
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Jun 10, 2020
The advent and evolution of next generation sequencing has considerably impacted genomic research... more The advent and evolution of next generation sequencing has considerably impacted genomic research. Until recently, South African researchers were unable to access affordable platforms capable of human whole genome sequencing locally and DNA samples had to be exported. Here we report the whole genome sequences of the first six human DNA samples sequenced and analysed at the South African Medical Research Council's Genomics Centre. We demonstrate that the data obtained is of high quality, with an average sequencing depth of 36.41, and that the output is comparable to data generated internationally on a similar platform. The Genomics Centre creates an environment where African researchers are able to access world class facilities, increasing local capacity to sequence whole genomes as well as store and analyse the data.
South African Journal of Bioethics and Law, May 19, 2022
This open-access article is distributed under Creative Commons licence CC-BY-NC 4.0.
MHS (Transdisciplinary Health Promotion), North-West University, Potchefstroom CampusInclusive mH... more MHS (Transdisciplinary Health Promotion), North-West University, Potchefstroom CampusInclusive mHealth innovation aims to not only stimulate the National System of Innovation but also to unlock the mHealth development domain that is currently dominated by a select few large innovation houses. By encouraging and facilitating non-traditional innovators to co-create solutions for local needs, inclusive mHealth innovation can tap into existing lucrative markets and adopt innovations for local relevant consumption. This study set out to identify and describe the components for an inclusive mHealth innovation framework for South Africa through a case study of the reHealthAfrica innovation initiative. Two scoping literature reviews were conducted. The first review was to explore and describe the components that constitute mHealth innovation for public healthcare in order to conceptualise mHealth and mHealth innovation; and to identify the components of mHealth innovation by describing their requirements, barriers and challenges. The second review was to explore the concept of inclusive mHealth innovation described and derived as a generic set of components. The study then frames these generic components with the component based approach to describe activities within an innovation ecosystem. Five components were then transposed on the findings from the scoping literature reviews and seven working hypotheses presented in a working hypothesis conceptual framework, which guided the document analysis. The reHealthAfrica innovation initiative uses the Demola Innovation Model and was selected as a single, holistic case for this study. The case records included written reports and published artefacts (n=28, n=17) that reflected on the actions and activities in the reHealthAfrica initiative. These records are available in the public domain. An all-inclusive sample was applied after this study was approved by the Scientific Committee of the Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR). The researchers confirmed that no formal ethical approval was necessary because all the data in the case records is accessible to the public via the Internet. Document analysis was conducted according to a data sheet which presented the components of an innovation system (innovations, actors and networks, knowledge and learning, relationships, institutions) and the seven working hypotheses (n=7) deduced from the first and second scoping literature reviews. Firstly inclusive innovation systems for mHealth negotiate consumer (also referring to the patient) wants and supply side needs regarding healthcare. Secondly, the inclusion of alternative and non-traditional innovators. Thirdly, to incorporate bridges and connectors early into the innovation process. Fourthly, to plan and operationalise a purposefully structured domain relevant to learning. Fifthly, to accommodate structured and informal relations; and sixthly, to develop structures that can facilitate relations which are both organic and flexible as well as formal and contracted. The seventh working hypothesis was that those responsible for operationalising inclusive innovation initiatives to be able to feed into strategy formulation. The document analysis evidenced the support of all of the working hypotheses and leads to a refined framework for mHealth innovation in South Africa.Master
South African Journal of Bioethics and Law, 2021
Globally, there has been a move toward ‘open science’ that includes the sharing of health data fo... more Globally, there has been a move toward ‘open science’ that includes the sharing of health data for research. The importance of data sharing for research is generally acknowledged, but this must only be done with legal and ethical procedures and protections in place. The use and sharing of health data for research in South Africa has changed with the coming into force of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). POPIA should ensure greater transparency and accountability in the use of personal information. POPIA, however, adopts a principle-based approach to the regulation of personal information, and there is a lack of clarity and uncertainty in the application of some of these principles to the use of health data for research. POPIA provides for sector-specific responses through the development of codes of conduct. In this article, we discuss the need for a code of conduct for health research, and an approach that could be adopted in its development.
The International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium reports the generation of new mouse mutant strains... more The International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium reports the generation of new mouse mutant strains for over 5,000 genes from targeted embryonic stem cells on the C57BL/6N genetic background. This includes 2,850 null alleles for which no equivalent mutant mouse line exists, 2,987 novel conditional-ready alleles, and 4,433 novel reporter alleles. This nearly triples the number of genes with reporter alleles and almost doubles the number of conditional alleles available to the scientific community. When combined with more than 30 years of community effort, the total mutant allele mouse resource covers more than half of the genome. The extensively validated collection is archived and distributed through public repositories, facilitating availability to the worldwide biomedical research community, and expanding our understanding of gene function and human disease.
South African Medical Journal, Dec 21, 2016
This open-access article is distributed under Creative Commons licence CC-BY-NC 4.0.
BMC International Health and Human Rights, Jul 27, 2012
A pool of 38 pan-African Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in health innovation has been selected and ... more A pool of 38 pan-African Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in health innovation has been selected and recognized by the African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI), through a competitive criteria based process. The process identified a number of opportunities and challenges for health R&D and innovation in the continent: i) it provides a direct evidence for the existence of innovation capability that can be leveraged to fill specific gaps in the continent; ii) it revealed a research and financing pattern that is largely fragmented and uncoordinated, and iii) it highlights the most frequent funders of health research in the continent. The CoEs are envisioned as an innovative network of public and private institutions with a critical mass of expertise and resources to support projects and a variety of activities for capacity building and scientific exchange, including hosting fellows, trainees, scientists on sabbaticals and exchange with other African and non-African institutions.
South African Medical Journal, Jun 28, 2019
Genomic research has been identified in South Africa (SA) as important in developing a strong bio... more Genomic research has been identified in South Africa (SA) as important in developing a strong bio-economy that has the potential to improve human health, drive job creation and offer potential solutions to the disease burden harboured by low-and middle-income countries. Central to the success of genomic research is the wide sharing of biological samples and data, but the true value of data can only be unlocked if there are laws and policies in place that foster the legal and ethical sharing of genomic data. The introduction and entry into force of SA's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) No. 4 of 2013 is to be welcomed, but the wording of POPIA as it pertains to consent for the processing of personal information for research purposes has sparked a debate about the legal status of broad consent. We argue that a purposive interpretation of the legislation would permit broad consent for the processing of personal information for research. Although there are ongoing debates surrounding the ethical use of broad consent in Africa, the objective of this article is not to engage with the ethics of broad consent itself, but rather to focus on the legal status of broad consent for genomic data sharing under POPIA.
BMC International Health and Human Rights, 2012
A pool of 38 pan-African Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in health innovation has been selected and ... more A pool of 38 pan-African Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in health innovation has been selected and recognized by the African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI), through a competitive criteria based process. The process identified a number of opportunities and challenges for health R&D and innovation in the continent: i) it provides a direct evidence for the existence of innovation capability that can be leveraged to fill specific gaps in the continent; ii) it revealed a research and financing pattern that is largely fragmented and uncoordinated, and iii) it highlights the most frequent funders of health research in the continent. The CoEs are envisioned as an innovative network of public and private institutions with a critical mass of expertise and resources to support projects and a variety of activities for capacity building and scientific exchange, including hosting fellows, trainees, scientists on sabbaticals and exchange with other African and non-African institutions.
Four of the authors (MM, MB, TN and JMK) were funded by the EDCTP2 programme, supported by the Eu... more Four of the authors (MM, MB, TN and JMK) were funded by the EDCTP2 programme, supported by the European Union.
ABSTRACTThe advent and evolution of next generation sequencing has considerably impacted genomic ... more ABSTRACTThe advent and evolution of next generation sequencing has considerably impacted genomic research. Until recently, South African researchers were unable to access affordable platforms capable of human whole genome sequencing locally and DNA samples had to be exported. Here we report the whole genome sequences of the first six human DNA samples sequenced and analysed at the South African Medical Research Council’s Genomics Centre. We demonstrate that the data obtained is of high quality, with an average sequencing depth of 36.41, and that the output is comparable to data generated internationally on a similar platform. The Genomics Centre creates an environment where African researchers are able to access world class facilities, increasing local capacity to sequence whole genomes as well as store and analyse the data.
The Lancet Infectious Diseases
South African Health Review, 2016
Health research observatories are globally recognised proactive institutions that provide appropr... more Health research observatories are globally recognised proactive institutions that provide appropriate evidence-based information to guide policy-making decisions in a country, thereby improving health care. The World Health Organization has recommended the development of national and regional research and development observatories to ensure relevant, timeous and credible information on current and emerging health research priorities and impact on health responses and interventions, including allocation of resources and their scope and location. This chapter describes the vision, mandate, purpose, scope and benefits of a proposed health research observatory, as well as the key challenges, in order to stimulate awareness and generate local interest among and participation by the health research community and relevant stakeholders in South Africa. The National Health Research Committee (NHRC) has undertaken to establish the National Health Research Observatory as a comprehensive inform...
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Jun 10, 2020
The advent and evolution of next generation sequencing has considerably impacted genomic research... more The advent and evolution of next generation sequencing has considerably impacted genomic research. Until recently, South African researchers were unable to access affordable platforms capable of human whole genome sequencing locally and DNA samples had to be exported. Here we report the whole genome sequences of the first six human DNA samples sequenced and analysed at the South African Medical Research Council's Genomics Centre. We demonstrate that the data obtained is of high quality, with an average sequencing depth of 36.41, and that the output is comparable to data generated internationally on a similar platform. The Genomics Centre creates an environment where African researchers are able to access world class facilities, increasing local capacity to sequence whole genomes as well as store and analyse the data.
South African Journal of Bioethics and Law, May 19, 2022
This open-access article is distributed under Creative Commons licence CC-BY-NC 4.0.
MHS (Transdisciplinary Health Promotion), North-West University, Potchefstroom CampusInclusive mH... more MHS (Transdisciplinary Health Promotion), North-West University, Potchefstroom CampusInclusive mHealth innovation aims to not only stimulate the National System of Innovation but also to unlock the mHealth development domain that is currently dominated by a select few large innovation houses. By encouraging and facilitating non-traditional innovators to co-create solutions for local needs, inclusive mHealth innovation can tap into existing lucrative markets and adopt innovations for local relevant consumption. This study set out to identify and describe the components for an inclusive mHealth innovation framework for South Africa through a case study of the reHealthAfrica innovation initiative. Two scoping literature reviews were conducted. The first review was to explore and describe the components that constitute mHealth innovation for public healthcare in order to conceptualise mHealth and mHealth innovation; and to identify the components of mHealth innovation by describing their requirements, barriers and challenges. The second review was to explore the concept of inclusive mHealth innovation described and derived as a generic set of components. The study then frames these generic components with the component based approach to describe activities within an innovation ecosystem. Five components were then transposed on the findings from the scoping literature reviews and seven working hypotheses presented in a working hypothesis conceptual framework, which guided the document analysis. The reHealthAfrica innovation initiative uses the Demola Innovation Model and was selected as a single, holistic case for this study. The case records included written reports and published artefacts (n=28, n=17) that reflected on the actions and activities in the reHealthAfrica initiative. These records are available in the public domain. An all-inclusive sample was applied after this study was approved by the Scientific Committee of the Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR). The researchers confirmed that no formal ethical approval was necessary because all the data in the case records is accessible to the public via the Internet. Document analysis was conducted according to a data sheet which presented the components of an innovation system (innovations, actors and networks, knowledge and learning, relationships, institutions) and the seven working hypotheses (n=7) deduced from the first and second scoping literature reviews. Firstly inclusive innovation systems for mHealth negotiate consumer (also referring to the patient) wants and supply side needs regarding healthcare. Secondly, the inclusion of alternative and non-traditional innovators. Thirdly, to incorporate bridges and connectors early into the innovation process. Fourthly, to plan and operationalise a purposefully structured domain relevant to learning. Fifthly, to accommodate structured and informal relations; and sixthly, to develop structures that can facilitate relations which are both organic and flexible as well as formal and contracted. The seventh working hypothesis was that those responsible for operationalising inclusive innovation initiatives to be able to feed into strategy formulation. The document analysis evidenced the support of all of the working hypotheses and leads to a refined framework for mHealth innovation in South Africa.Master
South African Journal of Bioethics and Law, 2021
Globally, there has been a move toward ‘open science’ that includes the sharing of health data fo... more Globally, there has been a move toward ‘open science’ that includes the sharing of health data for research. The importance of data sharing for research is generally acknowledged, but this must only be done with legal and ethical procedures and protections in place. The use and sharing of health data for research in South Africa has changed with the coming into force of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). POPIA should ensure greater transparency and accountability in the use of personal information. POPIA, however, adopts a principle-based approach to the regulation of personal information, and there is a lack of clarity and uncertainty in the application of some of these principles to the use of health data for research. POPIA provides for sector-specific responses through the development of codes of conduct. In this article, we discuss the need for a code of conduct for health research, and an approach that could be adopted in its development.
The International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium reports the generation of new mouse mutant strains... more The International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium reports the generation of new mouse mutant strains for over 5,000 genes from targeted embryonic stem cells on the C57BL/6N genetic background. This includes 2,850 null alleles for which no equivalent mutant mouse line exists, 2,987 novel conditional-ready alleles, and 4,433 novel reporter alleles. This nearly triples the number of genes with reporter alleles and almost doubles the number of conditional alleles available to the scientific community. When combined with more than 30 years of community effort, the total mutant allele mouse resource covers more than half of the genome. The extensively validated collection is archived and distributed through public repositories, facilitating availability to the worldwide biomedical research community, and expanding our understanding of gene function and human disease.
South African Medical Journal, Dec 21, 2016
This open-access article is distributed under Creative Commons licence CC-BY-NC 4.0.
BMC International Health and Human Rights, Jul 27, 2012
A pool of 38 pan-African Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in health innovation has been selected and ... more A pool of 38 pan-African Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in health innovation has been selected and recognized by the African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI), through a competitive criteria based process. The process identified a number of opportunities and challenges for health R&D and innovation in the continent: i) it provides a direct evidence for the existence of innovation capability that can be leveraged to fill specific gaps in the continent; ii) it revealed a research and financing pattern that is largely fragmented and uncoordinated, and iii) it highlights the most frequent funders of health research in the continent. The CoEs are envisioned as an innovative network of public and private institutions with a critical mass of expertise and resources to support projects and a variety of activities for capacity building and scientific exchange, including hosting fellows, trainees, scientists on sabbaticals and exchange with other African and non-African institutions.
South African Medical Journal, Jun 28, 2019
Genomic research has been identified in South Africa (SA) as important in developing a strong bio... more Genomic research has been identified in South Africa (SA) as important in developing a strong bio-economy that has the potential to improve human health, drive job creation and offer potential solutions to the disease burden harboured by low-and middle-income countries. Central to the success of genomic research is the wide sharing of biological samples and data, but the true value of data can only be unlocked if there are laws and policies in place that foster the legal and ethical sharing of genomic data. The introduction and entry into force of SA's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) No. 4 of 2013 is to be welcomed, but the wording of POPIA as it pertains to consent for the processing of personal information for research purposes has sparked a debate about the legal status of broad consent. We argue that a purposive interpretation of the legislation would permit broad consent for the processing of personal information for research. Although there are ongoing debates surrounding the ethical use of broad consent in Africa, the objective of this article is not to engage with the ethics of broad consent itself, but rather to focus on the legal status of broad consent for genomic data sharing under POPIA.
BMC International Health and Human Rights, 2012
A pool of 38 pan-African Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in health innovation has been selected and ... more A pool of 38 pan-African Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in health innovation has been selected and recognized by the African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI), through a competitive criteria based process. The process identified a number of opportunities and challenges for health R&D and innovation in the continent: i) it provides a direct evidence for the existence of innovation capability that can be leveraged to fill specific gaps in the continent; ii) it revealed a research and financing pattern that is largely fragmented and uncoordinated, and iii) it highlights the most frequent funders of health research in the continent. The CoEs are envisioned as an innovative network of public and private institutions with a critical mass of expertise and resources to support projects and a variety of activities for capacity building and scientific exchange, including hosting fellows, trainees, scientists on sabbaticals and exchange with other African and non-African institutions.
Four of the authors (MM, MB, TN and JMK) were funded by the EDCTP2 programme, supported by the Eu... more Four of the authors (MM, MB, TN and JMK) were funded by the EDCTP2 programme, supported by the European Union.
ABSTRACTThe advent and evolution of next generation sequencing has considerably impacted genomic ... more ABSTRACTThe advent and evolution of next generation sequencing has considerably impacted genomic research. Until recently, South African researchers were unable to access affordable platforms capable of human whole genome sequencing locally and DNA samples had to be exported. Here we report the whole genome sequences of the first six human DNA samples sequenced and analysed at the South African Medical Research Council’s Genomics Centre. We demonstrate that the data obtained is of high quality, with an average sequencing depth of 36.41, and that the output is comparable to data generated internationally on a similar platform. The Genomics Centre creates an environment where African researchers are able to access world class facilities, increasing local capacity to sequence whole genomes as well as store and analyse the data.
The Lancet Infectious Diseases
South African Health Review, 2016
Health research observatories are globally recognised proactive institutions that provide appropr... more Health research observatories are globally recognised proactive institutions that provide appropriate evidence-based information to guide policy-making decisions in a country, thereby improving health care. The World Health Organization has recommended the development of national and regional research and development observatories to ensure relevant, timeous and credible information on current and emerging health research priorities and impact on health responses and interventions, including allocation of resources and their scope and location. This chapter describes the vision, mandate, purpose, scope and benefits of a proposed health research observatory, as well as the key challenges, in order to stimulate awareness and generate local interest among and participation by the health research community and relevant stakeholders in South Africa. The National Health Research Committee (NHRC) has undertaken to establish the National Health Research Observatory as a comprehensive inform...